NPC Singapore, BP staff participates in swim-a-thon

The two celebrated their new partnership by swimming a total of 750 laps. 28 Sep 2015
Imagen
Theresa Goh competing

Theresa Goh of Singapore competes in the Women's 100m Breaststroke SB4 Final at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

ⒸGetty Images
By BP

In a bid to encourage more corporations to support Singapore's Paralympic athletes, Paralympic swimmers Theresa Goh and Yip Pin Xiu joined 11 staff members from BP in a swim-a-thon at the Singapore Swimming Club in early September.

The 750-lap event was held to mark the Paralympic Partnership between the oil and gas company and the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC).

"In Singapore, you don't see much corporate backing for Paralympic sports, so BP's involvement is very much welcomed," said Goh, 28, who swam 40 laps.

"The SEA [Southeast Asian] Games [in June] showed that there are a lot of companies backing our able-bodied sportsmen, so I hope others here can come on board as well and lend support for athletes like us,” said Goh, who along with Xiu, serves as BP's athlete ambassador.

A contingent of 145 para-athletes will represent Team Singapore in the eighth Asean Para Games (APG) in December, which will be hosted in Singapore.

Yip, who broke the world record in the 50m backstroke S3 during the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, is looking forward to the APG and the opportunity to spread raise awareness of para-sports in the region.

"The awareness and participation in Paralympics is definitely growing but it has not reached the level of other countries like Japan," said the 23-year-old. "My hope is that the APG will create a big impact here. We train as regularly and as hard as able-bodied athletes so I guess we do feel that sometimes we deserve to be as recognised."

Singapore is the first Asian country to join the BP Paralympic family.

"We share the common value of courage, and our own values of respect and excellence are closely aligned," said Terence Yuen, BP Singapore's president. "Where better to see these embodied than by the national Paralympic team."